Walk the cherry-tree-lined neighborhood in which artist Diane Hill and Matt live outside London, and I guarantee you’ll be pinching yourself at the end of every block. Its charms are simply that unbelievable. Within minutes of meandering out their front door you can find yourself skipping through a neighborhood zoo, boarding the train to London, dropping the kids off at school or feeding the nearby pond’s family of ducks. All in all, the house’s setting couldn’t be dreamier. Its interior though… well, that seemed more like a nightmare before the couple renovated the quaint space.
Completed in the 1960s, the postwar house was in desperate need of an overhaul when Diane and Matt bought it in 2015. The kitchen had to be gutted, the entire home needed rewiring and carpet, and old furnishings had to go. Luckily, Matt and Diane are one determined pair of perfectionists. So much so, they even tackled the updates themselves to ensure the results were exactly what they were after. All it took was time and a few YouTube tutorials. “[I’m] so proud of myself and my husband,” Diane gushes. “For every screw, every brushstroke, every tile [and] every inch of this house has our own hard work all over it.”
Once the construction period was complete the home seemed to rise anew, like a blank canvas ready to be dressed with the one-of-a-kind artwork Diane is known for. Her pieces don’t live behind glass or in a frame, though. Diane is a muralist, so she is able to create graphics both romantic and bold that burst from their confines and unabashedly take over entire walls. Peek inside the couple’s bedroom, and you’ll find her most abstract work: a mountain of rock in metallic gold and pink. Stroll through the dining rom or into one of their daughters’ bedrooms and you’re greeted by chinoiserie patterns, their floral details and pearlescent birds mesmerizing in every way.
While these paintings and Diane and Matt’s attention to detail have made this home a winner, stylistically speaking, the duo says the most valuable thing about their space is something absolutely intangible. Not soon after moving in Diane gave birth to their second daughter, and the comfort and calm vibe of this home has made them feel more blessed than ever before. Click through to take a look, and enjoy! —Garrett
Photography by Diane Hill
Image above: Diane and Matt love the calming vibe of sophistication the hand-painted mural lends to their bedroom. “The design was inspired by all sorts of natural textures: of marble, concrete and plaster…,” Diane explains. Many of the works throughout the pair’s house are as vibrant and colorful as this one here. To keep these details from visually cluttering up the various spaces, Diane has balanced them out with bright and white accessories.
from Design*Sponge http://www.designsponge.com/2017/05/painterly-touches-give-a-british-home-a-boost.html
from Home Improvment http://notelocreesnitu.tumblr.com/post/160950799199
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